Umayyad Mosque
Damascus

Watercolor & Ink on 8x10” Cotton Rag

The Umayyad Mosque stands on a site with a long history of worship. Before it was a mosque, Christians used the space, and even earlier it was a Roman structure, whose columns were reused in the mosque’s construction. When it was built, the architects drew on Byzantine styles, visible in the mosaics and decorative details. The floral motifs throughout the mosque symbolize paradise, and the concave mihrab is one of the earliest of its kind after the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. Painting this in watercolor and ink allowed me to explore how the building’s architecture reflects layers of history, the coexistence of faiths, and the evolution of Islamic design.